Irma E. De Vito

Cloud point extraction of mercury with PONPE 7.5 prior to its determination in biological samples by ETAAS

Cloud point extraction (CPE) has been used for the pre-concentration of mercury, after the formation of a complex with 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-(diethylamino)-phenol (5-Br-PADAP), and later analysis by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) using polyethyleneglycolmono-p-nonyphenylether (PONPE 7.5) as surfactant. The chemical variables affecting the separation step were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, i.e, pH 8.5, cloud point temperature 80 degrees C, 5-Br-PADAP=4x10(-5) mol L(-1), PONPE 7.5=0.2%, sample volume=1.0 mL, an enhancement factor of 22-fold was reached. The lower limit of detection (LOD) obtained under the optimal conditions was 0.01 microg L(-1). The precision for 10 replicate determinations at 2.0 microg L(-1) Hg was 4.0% relative standard deviation (R.S.D.). The calibration graph using the pre-concentration system for mercury was linear with a correlation coefficient of 0.9994 at levels near the detection limits up to at least 16 microg L(-1). The method was successfully applied to the determination of mercury in biological samples and in certified reference material (QC METAL LL3).

Slurry sampling in serum blood for mercury determination by CV-AFS

The heavy metal mercury (Hg) is a neurotoxin known to have a serious health impact even at relatively low concentrations. A slurry method was developed for the sensitive and precise determination of mercury in human serum blood samples by cold vapor generation coupled to atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CV-AFS). All variables related to the slurry formation were studied. The optimal hydrochloric concentration and tin(II) chloride concentration for CV generation were evaluated. Calibration within the range 0.1-10 microg L(-1) Hg was performed with the standard addition method, and compared with an external calibration. Additionally, the reliability of the results obtained was evaluated by analyzing mercury in the same samples, but submitted to microwave-assisted digestion method. The limit of detection was calculated as 25 ng L(-1) and the relative standard deviation was 3.9% at levels around of 0.4 microg L(-1)Hg.

Determination of trace rare earth elements by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry after preconcentration on a new chelating resin loaded with thorin

A very stable chelating resin was prepared by adsorption of (o-[3,6-disulfo-2-hidroxy-1-naphthylazo]-benzenearsonic acid) (thorin) on a macroporous resin Amberlite XAD-7. The optimal conditions for preparing it were obtained through the study of the adsorption properties of the resin and the thermodynamic quantities of the adsorption processes. Likewise, the behavior of the loaded resin with the rare earth elements (REE) were studied (pH of retention, sorption kinetics, etc). The conditions to prepare a thin film with this system were also evaluated. The loaded resin was successfully used for the separation and preconcentration of Sm(III), Eu(III) and Gd(III) prior to their determination by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry. The preconcentration factor obtained was 500 and the concentrations at low detection limit were 13.8, 17 and 15.7 microg l(-1) for Sm, Eu and Gd, respectively.

Continuous-flow/stopped-flow system for determination of ascorbic acid using an enzymatic rotating bioreactor

The high sensitivity that can be attained using an enzymatic system and mediated by hydroquinone, has been verified by on-line interfacing of a rotating bioreactor and continuous flow/stopped-flow/continuous-flow processing. Horseradish peroxidase, HRP, [EC 1.11.1.7], immobilized on a rotating disk, in presence of hydrogen peroxide catalyses the oxidation of hydroquinone to p-benzoquinone, whose electrochemical reduction back to hydroquinone is detected on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface at -0.15V. Thus, when l-ascorbic acid is added to the solution, this acid is reduced chemically (p-benzoquinone to hydroquinone) and acts as mediator of HRP, decreasing the peak current obtained proportionally to the increase of its concentration. The recovery of l-ascorbic acid from four samples ranged from 99.09 to 101.10%. This method could be used to determine l-ascorbic acid concentration in the range 12nM-3.5muM (r = 0.998). The determination of l-ascorbic acid was possible with a limit of detection of 6nM in the processing of as many as 25 samplesh(-1). The method was successfully applied for the analysis of l-ascorbic acid in pharmaceutical formulations.

Silica nanoparticle-based microfluidic immunosensor with laser-induced fluorescence detection for the quantification of immunoreactive trypsin.

The purpose of this study was to develop a silica nanoparticle-based immunosensor with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) as a detection system. The proposed device was applied to quantify the immunoreactive trypsin (IRT) in cystic fibrosis (CF) newborn screening. A new ultrasonic procedure was used to extract the IRT from blood spot samples collected on filter papers. After extraction, the IRT reacted immunologically with anti-IRT monoclonal antibodies immobilized on a microfluidic glass chip modified with 3-aminopropyl functionalized silica nanoparticles (APSN-APTES-modified glass chips). The bounded IRT was quantified by horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated anti-IRT antibody (anti-IRT-Ab) using 10-acetyl-3,7-dihydroxyphenoxazine (ADHP) as enzymatic mediator. The HRP catalyzed the oxidation of nonfluorescent ADHP to highly fluorescent resorufin, which was measured by LIF detector, using excitation lambda at 561nm and emission at 585nm. The detection limits (LODs) calculated for LIF detection and for a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kit were 0.87 and 4.2ngml(-1), respectively. The within- and between-assay variation coefficients for the LIF detection procedure were below 6.5%. The blood spot samples collected on filter papers were analyzed with the proposed method, and the results were compared with those of the reference ELISA method, demonstrating a potential usefulness for the clinical assessment of IRT during the early neonatal period.